at the end of my tether. plateau continues

the heading says it all really. been 280 lbs  for three weeks now so gonna have to change something. really down

hi there -- just wanted to tell you to hang in there!  plateaus just might be the most maddening part of changing one's lifestyle, especially when one is trying to do everything right!  (i've been there!)  i glanced at your profile -- way to go on the exercising!  two quick things... i wonder if you're a)eating enough given how much you're calculating you're burning  b)if your ratios are in balance (carbs/prot/fat) which makes a huge difference especially when you are exercising frequently.  one more thing too: the activity log on here is awesome, but i found that when i got a heart rate monitor my calories burned were completely different than what was on the site, probably because (correct me if i'm wrong) they're set for average builds.  i use my monitor to see what calories i've burned and enter activity manually and i've since seen changes by calculating my deficit after that.

Hang in there...I was on one too and made it past it today.  It WILL happen.   Increase your exercise, drink alot of water, watch the sodium, and make sure you are eating enough.   

Hang on to that "tether".  Don't give up.  It is a plateau, there is always a down side to the plateau :)

Keep up the good work.  Like becrun said, you may want to increase your cals for all the exercise you do.  Or hey, give yourself a break from the exercise for a day or two.  Mix it up a little, but don't forget to drink your water!!!!!

You have come so far and I am proud of you for your strength in getting this done.   

Here's the question, though geoff. Have you been measuring yourself? Waist, Hips, Arms, etc.?

Almost everyone I've heard of tell me that while you plateau, your weight may not be going down, but your measurements are.  And.. isn't that the important thing? That you LOOK fit and healthy? :)

Just.. something to think about. :)

You've come along way. You can keep going :) Just.. keep doing the best that you can do and the plateau WILL break.

I had a quick look at your journal (hope you don't mind)  I think your caloric deficit is too great.  Try upping your calories a bit.  and see if that breaks the plateau.

I'm there again - hovering around the same 3 pounds all month.  It looks like I maybe dropped 3 pounds, but then it goes right back up again.  We just have to keep going and trust that we are doing the right thing.  Even if I don't lose another pound, I'll keep on eating like I do - very, very healthy - because I know it's good for me and I feel better.

Try not to get too down over it. I am on one too. It has now officially been one month that I have been at 211. Yesterday I had seen 209 and thought I was finally done with the 211. Nope, this one is holding on for dear life. Just keeping doing what you know is healthy and eventually it will end. (or so I keep telling myself)

I'm starting to think that the longer you were at a weight on the way up, the longer it takes to break through the plateau -but I also think that maybe, it means you have more time to get used to the improved way of eating - turn it into a habit that you cannot break. Sort of mini-maintenance stages. Trust the process, Geo - it'll be alright.

thanks all...will take a good long look at my eating pattern and water intake (which i know is awful) it really is a drag and i know how i am when things have got frustrating in the past. mind you as some of you know, my alcoholism (recovering) does mean that at times off stress i tend to blow out on food as opposed to booze. easier to put a days eating right than to hit the booze...things that i am eating in big quantities in that i dont weight are "porriidge!" late at night, pounds of fruit, sometimes 6 bananas and 6 apples plus 2 or 3 health bars!! gawd it sounds bad already.....

Hkellick is right;  you should measure yourself. 

I wasn't losing too much weight either in a plateau of sorts, then I decided to measure myself;  lost 4 inches off my shoulders, waist, 2 inches off my neck.  I have to be doing something right to do that.

Also, keep in mind that muscle weighs more than fat, so if you gain muscle, you might look the same size or even smaller, and still weigh the same, but that just means you have to keep it up!  that muscle will increase your metabolism and you'll start to go down again. 

It has to happen.  Phsysiologically, it's the only thing that CAN happen.

a friend on the group spoke about their heart monitor that showed calorie readings and it struck a chord because i use a pedometer and over a day i cover approx 13000 steps or 6 miles. trouble is that my calories burnt daily allowance shows as around 3500, so i never know what to add in the way of extra energy burned. yesterday for example could have been as low as 3500 burned in total or as high as 5000. does a heart monitor record cals burnt throughout the day? and does one do away with the daily allowance...cant afford a monitor yet but sounds a better idea. because at present i could literaly eat 4000 cals and still be 1000 short of what  i burn, according to pedometer estimation plus the the allowance

Geoffreyp, you have gotten some good information. I ask you to consider it carefully. I might also suggest you try zigzaging your carbs. For example, drop your percentage of carbs consumed in a day by 10-20% and then return to 50% for three days then drop them again (but never for more than 3 days in a row). This helps to deplete the glycogen stores in your body and forces it to burn triglycirides (fat) for fuel. It has been very effective for me. I have lost 80 pounds to date.